Web Design Tips & Tricks

OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEBSITE LOOK & PERFORM BETTER

If done properly, your website can be one of the best marketing tools for your business. Your site is an interactive online gallery or storefront that’s open 24/7. Here are some basic DO‘s and DON’Ts that all websites should follow to ensure a great user experience:

MOBILE FRIENDLY

Do: Have a website that’s optimized for smartphones and tablets. Whether it’s a responsive design or a separate version from your desktop one, it’s more than likely that over 50% of your visitors are viewing your site with a device that’s not a desktop or laptop.

Don’t: Think that a fixed site framework is good enough. Having a website that’s responsive to the user’s viewing device means better usability for your visitors.

Don’t: Style or send newsletters directly from your personal email account. Styling markup displays differently depending on platform/ email clients; if it looks good in your email program there’s no guarantee it will still look good when it arrives in a different mailbox.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Do: Research and define your social media strategy; what will work best for your business? Add your social media links to your website, e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn, FB, Instagram, Google Plus.

Don’t: Waste time on social media that are irrelevant to your business.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Do: Add an SEO plugin, and manage your meta keywords and descriptions for every page. Integrate Google Analytics to check which pages on your website work best and how visitors find you.

AUDIO & VIDEO

Do: Take advantage of media providers like YouTube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud to store your videos and audio. Using YouTube or Vimeo as your video provider, and Soundcloud as your audio channel means you can embed your video and audio easily into your own site, and you know it will work (stream) across devices.

Don’t: Automatically play video or audio when a page loads. Most users find that annoying which means their first impression of your site won’t be a great one.

A new visitor to your website will form the first impression in two-tenths of a second! In about 2.6 seconds users will focus their attention on the area that most influences their first impression.

FLASH

If you wish to discuss how we can develop your brand or provide graphic design for your product or business? Contact us here or call us on 07801 214657 and we will give you free advice and we should be able to find a service that works for you and your budget.